Air conditioner for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A rear air conditioning unit is disposed behind a rear bulkhead separating a rear portion of a passenger compartment. The rear air conditioning unit takes in inside-and-outside air for air conditioning via a rear cowl portion disposed above the rear bulkhead head and blows off conditioned air into the passenger compartment. Accordingly, since a layout of an air conditioning unit disposed at the front side of the vehicle is omitted, an engine as a heavy article can be located at the center side of the vehicle and a yaw inertia moment of the vehicle can be reduced, thereby improving maneuverability and stability of the vehicle and dynamic performance of the vehicle. Further, a layout of the rear air conditioning unit and induction of the inside-and-outside air can be made compatible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehiclecomprising an air conditioning unit to control air conditioning of aninside of a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Conventionally, the following structure is known as the above-mentionedair conditioner for a vehicle. Namely, it is a so-called twinair-conditioning type of air conditioner for a vehicle in which there isprovided at a front side of the vehicle an air conditioning unitincluding a blower, an evaporator, and a heater core, while there isprovided at a rear side of the vehicle a rear cooler unit including ablower and an evaporator (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.5-193337).

In this air conditioner for a vehicle, since the air conditioning unitis disposed at the front side of the vehicle, there are problems that amoved-back layout of a vehicle engine would be prevented and a yawinertia moment would become large, thereby deteriorating maneuverabilityand stability of the vehicle and dynamic performance of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the following structure is known as an air conditioner for aso-called open car. Namely, an air conditioning unit for the open car isplaced at a front portion of a vehicle body between a dash lower paneland an instrument panel (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.7-266841).

In this air conditioner of the open car, since the air conditioning unitis disposed at the front side of the vehicle as well, there are the sameproblems that a moved-back layout of a vehicle engine would be preventedand a yaw inertia moment would become large, thereby deterioratingmaneuverability and stability of the vehicle and dynamic performance ofthe vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentionedproblems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airconditioner for a vehicle that can improve maneuverability and stabilityof the vehicle and dynamic performance of the vehicle by reducing a yawinertia moment, and provide compatibleness of a layout of a rear airconditioning unit and an induction of inside-and-outside air.

According to the present invention, there is provided an air conditionerfor a vehicle comprising a passenger compartment of the vehicle, a rearbulkhead separating a rear portion of the passenger compartment, a rearcowl portion disposed above the rear bulkhead, and a rear airconditioning unit disposed behind the rear bulkhead, the rear airconditioning unit taking in inside-and-outside air for air conditioningvia the rear cowl portion and blowing off conditioned air into thepassenger compartment of the vehicle.

According to the above-mentioned structure, since a layout of an airconditioning unit disposed at the front side of the vehicle is omitted,a vehicle engine as a heavy article can be located at the center side ofthe vehicle and a yaw inertia moment of the vehicle can be reduced,thereby improving the maneuverability and stability of the vehicle andthe dynamic performance of the vehicle. Namely, compatibleness of acenter layout of the engine and a layout of the air conditioning unitcan be provided.

Further, since the rear air conditioning unit takes in theinside-and-outside air for air conditioning via the rear cowl portionand blows off the conditioned air into the passenger compartment of thevehicle, compatibleness of the layout of the rear air conditioning unitand the induction of the inside-and-outside air can be provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an engine room inwhich an engine of the vehicle is disposed is formed before thepassenger compartment of the vehicle. Accordingly, a compact vehiclewith a front engine can be provided.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an upper partof the passenger compartment is covered by a roof capable of opening.Accordingly, a simple structure of the air conditioner for a so-calledopen car can be provided.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there areprovided an inside-and-outside air induction port formed on an upperside of the rear cowl portion and an aero-board attached near theinside-and-outside air induction port, wherein the aero-board isattached so as to change its position and a positional change of saidaero-board provides an induction switching of the inside-and-outside airfor air conditioning. Accordingly, a proper switching between aninside-air induction and an outside-air induction can be attained bychanging the position of the aero-board.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an outside-air induction passage which leads to the rear cowlportion and opens to an outside of the vehicle through a vehicle outsidewall. Accordingly, the induction of the outside air through the vehicleoutside wall can be ensured.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a blowoff port for blowing off the conditioned air from therear air conditioning unit, which is formed on a side of the rearbulkhead which is located toward an inside of the passenger compartmentof the vehicle. This blowoff port may be provided for a neck portion ofthe passenger sitting on the seat. Accordingly, the distance between therear air conditioning unit and the blowoff port can be made short,thereby reducing a passage length between them.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a seat of thevehicle is disposed before and close to the rear bulkhead in thepassenger compartment of the vehicle, and the seat has a blowoff portformed thereon for blowing off the conditioned air from the rear airconditioning unit. Accordingly, comfortable air conditioning can beattained by the conditioned air from the blowoff port formed on theseat.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the blowoffport on the seat is located so as to blow off the conditioned air towarda back portion of a passenger sitting on the seat. Accordingly, since aproper control of air conditioning at the back portion of the passengeris provided, comfortable air conditioning can be attained.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the blowoffport on the seat is located so as to blow off the conditioned air towarda lumbar portion of a passenger sitting on the seat. Accordingly, sincea proper control of air conditioning at the lumber portion of thepassenger is provided, comfortable air conditioning can be attained.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a tunnel portion extending forward of the vehicle from a lowerportion of the rear bulkhead, and the tunnel portion has a blowoff portformed thereon for blowing off the conditioned air from the rear airconditioning unit toward a thigh portion of a passenger. Accordingly,since a proper control of air conditioning at the thigh portion of thepassenger is provided with utilizing the tunnel portion, comfortable airconditioning can be attained.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a tunnel portion extending forward of the vehicle from a lowerportion of the rear bulkhead, and the tunnel portion has a blowoff portformed thereon for blowing off the conditioned air from the rear airconditioning unit toward a foot portion of a passenger. Accordingly,since a proper control of air conditioning at the foot portion of thepassenger is provided with utilizing the tunnel portion, comfortable airconditioning can be attained.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a tunnel member above the tunnel portion which forms a passagehaving a closed cross section with the tunnel portion, and an airconditioning duct for the conditioned air from the rear air conditioningunit is formed in the passage having the closed cross section.Accordingly, the air conditioning duct can be provided properly byutilizing the closed cross section between the tunnel portion and thetunnel member formed to increase rigidity of a vehicle floor and avehicle body.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the rear airconditioning unit takes in at least inside air of the passengercompartment, conditions the took-in air, and blows off the conditionedair into the passenger compartment, and there is further provided afront natural ventilation unit which is disposed before the passengercompartment, takes in outside air of the vehicle, and blows off thetook-in air into the passenger compartment. The front naturalventilation unit is a unit which has no function of temperaturecontrolling and takes in the outside air of the vehicle into thepassenger compartment of the vehicle. Accordingly, the rear airconditioning and the natural ventilation can made compatible.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided air conditioning control means for cooperatively controllingthe rear air conditioning unit and the front natural ventilation unit.Accordingly, since the rear air conditioning unit and the front naturalventilation unit are controlled cooperatively by the air conditioningcontrol means, utility of controlling can be improved withoutcontrolling them separately.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a tunnel portion extending forward of the vehicle from a lowerportion of the rear bulkhead, and the tunnel portion has a blowoff portformed thereon for blowing off the outside air of the vehicle from thefront natural ventilation unit. Accordingly, a comfortable feeling bythe outside air during a vehicle running can be provided to thepassenger by utilizing the tunnel portion. Especially, the ventilationby this outside air (natural wind) can be enhanced for the passenger ofthe open car.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the rear airconditioning unit is disposed between the rear bulkhead and a trunk roomwhich is disposed behind the rear bulkhead, and there is furtherprovided a trunk-room cooling-air passage for taking in cooling air fromthe rear air conditioning unit and providing the cooling air into thetrunk room to cool an inside of the trunk room. Accordingly, since therear air conditioning unit is disposed between the rear bulkhead and thetrunk room behind the rear bulkhead and the trunk room is cooled by thecooling air from the rear air conditioning unit, forming the trunk roomand providing the rear air conditioning unit can be made compatible, andalso the trunk room can be cooled by the rear air conditioning unit ofthe air conditioner for the vehicle, without providing any additionalcooling devices for the trunk room. Further, a cooling passage betweenthe rear air conditioning unit and the trunk room can be made short.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the trunk roomis divided into plural load compartments, and the cooling air isintroduced into at least one of the load compartments to constitute itas a cooler box. Accordingly, the cooler box can be cooled certainly andefficiently.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a suspension damper for suspending a rear wheel of the vehicleclose to the trunk room, and the suspension damper is cooled by thecooling air from the rear air conditioning unit. Accordingly, since thecooling air of the rear air conditioning unit cools the suspensiondamper, durability of the suspension damper can be prevented fromdeteriorating and the function of the damper can be also prevented fromchanging due to a heat. Particularly, heat deterioration of oil, apacking, and a rubber in the damper can be prevented.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a damper cooling-air passage for taking in the cooling air fromthe rear air conditioning unit and providing the cooling air to thesuspension damper. Accordingly, the damper can be cooled more certainlyby the cooling air from the damper cooling-air passage.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a suspension damper for suspending a rear wheel of the vehiclebehind the rear air conditioning unit, and the suspension damper iscooled via a damper cooling-air passage which is formed for taking incooling air from the rear air conditioning unit and providing thecooling air to the suspension damper. Accordingly, since the cooling airfrom the rear air conditioning unit is led to the suspension damper viathe damper cooling-air passage and cools the damper (particularly, oil,packing, and rubber in the damper), durability of the suspension dampercan be prevented from deteriorating and the function of the damper canbe also prevented from changing due to the heat.

Generally, while the vehicle remains parked outside in the daytime, thetemperature of an atmosphere around the suspension damper increases to ahigh one at which the durability of the suspension damper willdeteriorate or the damper function will change due to the heat.According to the above-mentioned structure, however, these problems canbe solved. Particularly, this should be effective in summer having ahigh temperature outside.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle equipped with an airconditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a major part.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a major part of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an inside-air induction state by apositional change of an aero-board.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an outside-air induction state by thepositional change of the aero-board.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a major part of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing another embodiment of an air conditionerfor a vehicle.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a major part taken on line A-Aof FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a layout of ducts.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a major part of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a relationship between a seat backand a duct.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing another embodiment of a layout of ducts.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of a structure ofa duct layout for the seat back.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a trunk room in which plural load compartmentsare partitioned.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of another embodiment of load compartmentpartition.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view showing a relationship between a suspensiondamper and a duct.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing a front natural ventilation unit.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the front natural ventilationunit.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the frontnatural ventilation unit.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of a layout ofan air conditioning control portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

An exemplary embodiment will be described in detail referring to thedrawings.

The drawings illustrate an air conditioner for a vehicle. Firstly, astructure of a vehicle body will be described referring to FIGS. 1through 3. Herein, arrows F, R, IN, and OUT denote respectively aforward direction, a backward direction, an inside direction, and anoutside direction of the vehicle in the drawings.

In a side view of FIG. 1 and a plan view of FIG. 2, a dash lower panel 3(a dash panel) separates a passenger compartment 2 from an engine room 1in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. An upper part of thepassenger compartment 2 is covered by a roof 4 (a movable roof) which iscapable of opening. A central part of the dash lower panel 3 in a widthdirection of the vehicle is recessed backward to form a recess portion 3a, and an engine 5 is disposed in the recess portion 3 a.

The engine 5 is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicleand comprises an ISG unit 6 (Integrated Starter Generator Unit,functioning as both a starter and a generator, which includes a statorand a rotor in a case, in which the rotor is rotated by a drive shaftsuch as a propeller shaft to produce electric power). Further, atransmission 7 is disposed behind the ISG unit 6 so as to be connectedcontinuously to the ISG unit 6 in a tunnel portion 16 of a floor panel8.

Further, the floor panel 8 is continuously connected to a lower endportion of the dash lower panel 3 to extend backward in a substantiallyhorizontal direction. A rear bulkhead 9 is provided so as to rise upslantingly from a rear portion of the floor panel 8, at a back face ofan upper end portion of which there is provided a rear cowl portion 10extending in a width direction of the vehicle. Herein, the rear bulkhead9 is a panel member which separates the passenger compartment 2 from arear part compartment.

Further, a rear floor 11 is provided so as to extend backward from amiddle portion of the rear bulkhead 9 in a vertical direction of thevehicle. A rear air conditioning unit 12 for air-conditioning thepassenger compartment 2 is provided near the rear cowl portion 10 on therear floor 11, and a so-called trunk room 13 (a load compartment) isformed behind the rear air conditioning unit 12. As apparent from FIG.1, the rear air conditioning unit 12 is disposed within a wheel base ofthe vehicle.

The rear air conditioning unit 12, as illustrated in FIG. 2, comprises ablower and cooling unit 14, and a heater unit 15. The heater unit 15 isdisposed at a central portion in the vehicle width direction, and theblower and cooling unit 14 is disposed at one side of the vehicle in thevehicle width direction.

At a central portion of the floor panel 8 constituting a vehicle floorcontinuously connected to the dash lower panel 3, as shown in FIGS. 1and 3, there is provided a tunnel portion 16 which protrudes in thepassenger compartment 2 and extends in the longitudinal direction of thevehicle. A upper tunnel member 17 (a so-called high-mount-backboneframe) is fixed on an upper portion of the tunnel portion 16 along thetunnel portion 16. The upper tunnel member 17 is connected to the dashlower panel 3 at its front end and to the rear bulkhead 9 at its rearend. Closed cross sections 17A, 17A extending in the longitudinaldirection are formed with the upper tunnel member 17 and the tunnelportion 16 as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the upper tunnel member 17 providesa structure which can improve rigidity of vehicle floor and body.

Herein, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a floor mat 18 is put on the floorpanel 8 and the tunnel portion 16, and there is provided a console 19 tocover the upper tunnel member 17 and the tunnel portion 16.

There are provided a pair of left and right seats 22, 22 on the floorpanel 8 with the above-mentioned tunnel portion 16 and upper tunnelmember 17 between them, which include seat cushions 20, 20 and seatbacks 21, 21 respectively. In this embodiment, the right seat 22corresponding to a steering wheel 23 constitutes a driver's seat, andthe left seat 22 constitutes a passenger's seat.

Herein, in the above-mentioned engine room 1, there are provided a pairof left and right front side frames 24, 24, rear ends of which areconnected with the dash lower panel 3 and which extend forward in thelongitudinal direction from the dash lower panel 3. A kick-up portion ofeach rear portion of the front side frames 24, 24 is provided along thedash lower panel 3, and there are provided a pair of left and rightfloor frames 25, 25 which are coupled to respective lower ends of thekick-up portions and extend backward along the floor panel 8.

Connecting members 26, 26 are attached to front ends of the front sideframes 24, 24, and a bumper reinforcement 27 is formed to connect theboth connecting members 26, 26 and extends in the vehicle widthdirection.

Further, there is provided a front cross member 28 interconnecting thefront side frames 24, 24 and extending in the vehicle width direction.There are provided a pair of batteries 29, 29 just before a normal crosssection of the dash lower panel 3 beside the engine 5, which areattached on the front side frames 24, 24.

The butteries 29, 29 also function to charge an electric energygenerated by the ISG unit 6 therein, which are placed on conjunctionportions of the front side frames 24, 24 with dash lower panel in thepresent embodiment. Herein, front ends of the batteries 29, 29 are solocated before the engine 5 as to receive a load caused by a head-oncollision of the vehicle, thereby preventing the engine 5 from movingback.

Extensions 17 a, 17 a of the upper tunnel member 17 are connected tobuttery-disposed portions of the dash lower panel 3 as shown in FIG. 2so as to convey the collision load properly to the vehicle body.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a radiator 30 is disposed betweenthe batteries 29, 29 in the engine room 1 so as to overlap with thebatteries 29, 29 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Further, heavy articles such as the driving device including the engine5 and the ISG unit 6, and auxiliary parts of the batteries 29, 29 andthe radiator 30 are all disposed, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, within thewheel base in order to reduce yaw inertia moments thereof.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, there is provided an air cleaner 31 includinga recess portion 31 a at the bottom, and an upper tank of the radiator30 is disposed so close to the recess portion 31 a that the air cleaner31 overlaps with the radiator 30 in the vertical direction and thelongitudinal direction of the vehicle. The air cleaner 31 is coupled toa L-shaped intake pipe 32, when viewed in a plan view, at its upstreamend as shown in FIG. 2.

Herein, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, rear cross members 33, 33extending in the vehicle width direction are disposed at rear portionsof the floor frames 25, 25 which are fixed to a lower face of the floorpanel 8.

A pair of left and right rear side frames 34, 34 are provided so as toextend under the rear floor 11 from back faces of the rear cross members33, 33. Two rear cross members 35, 36 extending in the vehicle widthdirection are provided so as to be interposed between the rear sideframes 34, 34 and apart from each other in the longitudinal direction.Further, a rear bumper reinforcement 37 extending in the width directionis provided at rear portions of the rear side frames 34, 34.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there are provided a pair of side sills 38,38 at both left-and-right ends of the floor panel 8, which extend in thelongitudinal direction in parallel to the floor frames 25, 25. Each ofthe side sills 34, 34, as shown in FIG. 3, is comprised of a side sillinner 39 and a side sill outer 40 to form a vehicle-body rigidity memberwith a side sill closed cross section 41 extending in the longitudinaldirection of the vehicle. Herein, a side sill reinforcement may beprovided in the side sill closed section 41 at need.

The side sills 38, 38 are connected to lower ends of hinge pillars 42,42 extending vertically at their front ends respectively as shown inFIG. 2. Each of the hinge pillars 42, 42 is comprised of a hinge pillarinner and a hinge pillar outer to form a vehicle-body rigidity memberwith a closed cross section 43 extending in the vertical direction.

There is provided a cowl upper panel 44 that is disposed above the dashlower panel 3 so as to extend in the vehicle direction. There is alsoprovided an instrument panel member 45 with a closed cross section thatis located backward away from a front cowl portion including the cowlupper panel 44 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction above thedash lower panel 3. The instrument panel member 45 is connected withrear portions of the hinge pillars 42, 42 at its both left-and rightends, as shown in FIG. 2. The instrument panel member 45 supports aninstrument panel 46.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the above-mentioned recess portion 3a is formed in such manner that the central portion of the dash lowerpanel 3 in the vehicle width direction is recessed backward from thefront cowl portion to the instrument panel member 45. Herein, theabove-mentioned pair of extensions 17 a, 17 a are formed to be integralwith the upper tunnel member 17 fixed on the tunnel portion 16, whichextend forward along side faces of the recess portion 3 a of the dashlower panel 3 to a base face (non-recessed face).

Herein, in FIGS. 1 through 3, a reference numeral 47 denotes a frontwheel, and other reference numerals denote respective pars as follows: arear wheel 48; hood 49; a trunk lid 50; a steering rack 51; a frontsuspension cross member 52; an exhaust pipe 53; a lower tunnel member 54extending in substantially parallel with the floor frame 25 in thelongitudinal direction; a lower connecting member 55 interconnectingdetachably the lower tunnel members 54, 54; and a rear differentialdevice 56.

Next, an induction structure for inside and outside air of the airconditioner for the vehicle will be described referring to FIGS. 4through 7. There is provided a rear package 60 extending substantiallyhorizontally from an upper end of the rear bulkhead 9, and theabove-mentioned rear cowl portion 10 is located in the corner betweenthe rear package 60 and the rear bulkhead 9.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 7, roll bars 61, 61 are provided on therear package 60 so as to correspond to the left and right seats 22, 22in order to protect the passengers, between which there is formed aninside-and-outside air induction port 62 which is integral with the rearpackage 60 and the rear cowl portion 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 4through 6.

The above-mentioned blower and cooling unit 14 is configured to take inthe inside and outside air from its intake port 14 a via theinside-and-outside air induction port 62 and the closed cross section10A of the rear cowl portion 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, there is provided a supporting shaft 63 on andbetween upper portions of the roll bars 61, 61 so as to rotate aroundits shaft axis. An aero-board 64 is attached to the supporting shaft 63,and a lower end of the aero-board 64 extends close to theinside-and-outside air induction port 62 formed on the rear cowl portion10.

A rotary actuator 65, such as, for example, a DC motor, is mounted on aback face of one of the roll bars 61, 61 directly or via a bracket (notillustrated). A drive gear 66 fixed to a rotational shaft of theactuator 65 and a driven gear 67 connected with the above-mentionedsupporting shaft 63 are engaged with each other all the time, andthereby the aero-board 64 is changed in its position by the rotaryactuator 65 via respective parts 66, 67, 63.

Namely, when the aero-board 64 is located in its neutral position asshown in FIG. 4, the inside-and-outside air induction port 62 takes inthe inside air and the outside air. Meanwhile, when the lower end of theaero-board 64 is located backward as shown in FIG. 5, theinside-and-outside air induction port 62 takes in the inside air.Further, when the lower end of the aero-board 64 is located forward asshown in FIG. 6, the inside-and-outside air induction port 62 takes inthe outside air (rolled-in wind) due to a negative pressure occurringbehind the aero-board 64. Namely, the positional change (change of itsslant angle) of the aero-board 64 provides the induction switching ofthe inside-and-outside air.

Herein, as shown in FIG. 8, there may be provided limitation members 68,69 such as stoppers to limit an overrun of the aero-board 64 before andbehind the inside-and-outside air induction port 62, aiming atsimplifying a control of the rotary actuator 65 such as the DC motor.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a major part taken on line A-A of FIG. 7,in which an inner panel 70 is attached at an end portion of the rearcowl portion 10, and a rear fender panel 71 is provided outside theinner panel 70 which constitutes a vehicle outside wall of the vehiclebody. Further, a beltline reinforcement 72 is attached to an inside faceof the rear fender panel 71 of the inner panel 70.

There is also provided an outside-air induction passage 73 which leadsto the rear cowl portion 10 and opens to an outside of the vehiclethrough the rear fender panel 71 as the vehicle outside wall. Thisoutside-air induction passage 73 is formed by connecting an outside-airinduction port 75 formed on the rear fender panel 71 with a mesh member74 disposed its opening portion, an opening portion 72 a of the beltlinereinforcement 72, an opening portion of the inner panel 70, and anopening portion 10 a at the side of the rear cowl portion 10 in thevehicle width direction. Herein, in FIGS. 4 through 6, a referencenumeral 76 denotes a cross member which is formed in the corner betweena lower face of a front portion of the rear floor 11 and a back face ofa middle portion of the rear bulkhead 9.

Next, a blowoff passage for conditioned air (warm air) such as coolingair from the heater unit 15 will be described referring to FIGS. 2, 10and 11. The heater unit 15 comprises a pair of blowoff portions B, C, D,E, and G as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11. Meanwhile, the passengerseats 22, 22 (particularly, the seat backs 21, 21) are disposed beforeand close to the rear bulkhead 9.

A duct 77 is coupled to the blowoff portion B of the heater unit 15, anda blowoff port 79 is formed at a front end of a bellows portion 78disposed at an upper end of the duct 77 extending upward. Thereby, thisblowoff port 79 is located inside the rear bulkhead 9 so that theconditioned air from the rear air conditioning unit 12 is directed to aneck portion of the passenger. The above-mentioned bellows member 78allows the position and direction of the blowoff port 79 to beadjustable according to needs or physical features of passengers.

Further, a duct 80 is coupled to the blowoff portion C of the heaterunit 15, and a blowoff port 82 is formed at a front end of a bellowsportion 81 disposed at an upper end of the duct 80 extending upwardslightly. Thereby, this blowoff port 82 is attached to the seat back 21so that the conditioned air from the rear air conditioning unit 12 isdirected to a back portion and/or a lumber portion of the passengersitting on the set 22. The above-mentioned bellows member 78 allows theposition and direction of the blowoff port 79 to be adjustable accordingto needs or physical features of passengers.

As shown in FIG. 12, a penetrating hole 83 is formed at the middleportion of the seat back 21 so as to penetrate through the seat back,and a net member 84 is disposed at the middle portion of the penetratinghole 83 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as to cover awhole part of the penetrating hole 83.

Also, an edge of the blowoff port 82 is attached to a back face portionof the seat back 21 via an attaching member 85. Thereby, when thepassenger leans on the seat back 21, the blowoff port 82 is preventedfrom being closed. Accordingly, the conditioned air can be properlyprovided to the back portion and/or lumber potion of the passenger, andthere is provided a structure which is available to a forward andbackward slide of the seat 22 and a reclining of the seat back 21 bymeans of the bellows portion 81.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a duct 86 is coupled to theblowoff port D of the heater unit 15, which is led into the closed crosssection 17A formed with the upper tunnel member 17 and the tunnelportion 16 extending forward from the lower portion of the rear bulkhead9 so as to extend forward. There are also provided a blowoff port 87which blows off the conditioned air from the rear air conditioning unit12 toward a thigh portion of the passenger and a blowoff port 88 whichblows off the one toward a foot portion of the passenger as well. Theblowoff ports 87, 88 are coupled to the duct 86 via the console 19 andthe upper tunnel member 17, and there are provided movable louvers atthe respective blowoff ports 87, 88.

Herein, the duct 86 may be led into the closed cross section 17A via anopening of the rear bulkhead 9 and an opening of the upper tunnel member17 as shown in FIG. 11, or as shown in FIG. 13, it may be led into theclosed cross section 17A via an opening of the rear floor 11, the closedcross section of the cross member 76 and an opening of the rear bulkhead9.

Further, a structure illustrated in FIG. 14 may be used instead of thestructure illustrated in FIG. 12. Namely, the duct 80 coupled to theblowoff port C of the heater unit 15 is bifurcated at its fore ends, andblowoff ports 82A, 82B are formed respectively at the both ends viabellows portions 81A, 81B. At the middle portion of the seat back 21,penetrating holes 83A, 83B are formed independently to penetrate throughthe seat back and be away from each other in the vertical direction.Further, net members 84A, 84B are respectively disposed at the middleportions of the penetrating holes 83A, 83B to cover the holes.Accordingly, the conditioned air blown off from the upper blowoff port82A may be directed toward the back portion of the passenger, and theconditioned air blown off from the lower blowoff port 82B may bedirected toward the lumber portion of the passenger.

The trunk room 13 enclosed by a trunk trim 90, as illustrated in FIG.15, is divided into plural load compartments 13A, 13B, and a smallerload compartment 13B is designed as a cooler box 91. An upper opening ofthe cooler box 91 is covered by a cooler box lid capable of opening (notillustrated).

The above-mentioned rear air conditioning unit 12 is disposed betweenthe rear bulkhead 9 which separates the rear portion of the passengercompartment and the trunk room 13 which is disposed behind the rearbulkhead. A pair of ducts 92, 92 are coupled to the blowoff port E ofthe heater unit 15 illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 13, which constitutes acooling air passage to lead the cooling air into the trunk room 13 andcool it, as shown in FIGS. 11, 13 and 15. Particularly, the cooling airis took into the load compartment 13B which is configured as the coolerbox 91.

Although it is provided to the divided load compartments 13A, 13Brespectively via the ducts 92, 92 in this embodiment, the cooling airmay be, off course, provided to only the load compartment 13B of thecooler box 91. Further, although the trunk room 13 is divided into thetwo load compartments 13A, 13B in this embodiment, more loadcompartments than two may be also formed in the trunk 13.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the trunk room 13 may be divided into thefront load compartment 13B and the rear load compartment 13A which areseparated from each other in the longitudinal direction and extend inthe vehicle width direction, and the front load compartment 13B may bedesigned as the cooler box 19 by coupling the pair of ducts 92, 92thereto.

Herein, there is a suspension damper 93 for supporting the rear wheel 48of the vehicle near the trunk room 13 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 17.The suspension damper 93 comprises a damper support 93 a, an upperspring seat 93 b, a strut 93 c, a coil spring 93 d and so on. The upperspring seat 93 b is supported by the rear floor 11 or a suspensionhousing (not illustrated), and an upper end portion of the dampersupport 93 a is supported on a suspension tower 95 via a bracket 94. Thesuspension damper 93 includes oil and rubber members therein.

Also, a pair of ducts 96, 96 are coupled to the blowoff port G of theheater unit 15 illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 13, which constitutes acooling air passage to lead the cooling air from the rear airconditioning unit 12 to the left and right suspension dampers 93, 93, asshown in FIGS. 2, 11, 13 and 17. Accordingly, the respective suspensiondampers 93, 93 can be cooled by the cooling air from the rear airconditioning unit 12.

In this embodiment, a front end opening portion 96 a of each of theabove-mentioned ducts 96, 96 is connected to the suspension tower 95 viathe trunk trim 90 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 17. Accordingly, thesuspension damper 93, particularly the oil and rubber members thereinare cooled through an inside space of the suspension tower 95, therebypreventing durability of the suspension damper 93 from deteriorating andfunctions of the damper from changing due to a heat.

While the vehicle remains parked outside in the daytime, the temperatureof an atmosphere around the suspension damper 93 increases to a high oneat which the durability of the suspension damper 93 deteriorates or thedamper function changes due to the heat. However, these problems can besolved by cooling the suspension damper 93 by the cooling air from theduct 96 as the damper cooling air passage.

As shown in FIG. 18, the cowl upper panel 44 disposed above the dashlower panel 3 is coupled to a front cowl panel 98 to support a front endof a windshield 97.

The front cowl upper panel 98 includes a substantially L-shaped crosssection and extends in the vehicle width direction, and a cowl closedcross section 99 is formed between the front cowl panel 98 and the cowlupper panel 44.

There are provide opening portions 98 a, 44 a for the front naturalventilation which are formed at a vertical portion of theabove-mentioned front cowl panel 98 and the cowl upper panel 44respectively which correspond to the cowl closed cross section 99.

Meanwhile, the pair of ducts 86, 86 illustrated in FIG. 10 extendforward in the closed cross section 17A, 17A between the tunnel portion16 and the upper tunnel member 17 to a portion near a slant lower end ofthe windshield 97 in the instrument panel 46 as illustrated in FIG. 19.Front ends of these extended ducts are connected to a pair ofleft-and-right front defroster ducts 100, 100 and a pair ofleft-and-right side defroster ducts 101, 101 to provide a constitutionof an anti-blur of the windshield. Herein, the ducts 100, 100 and 101,101 are formed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction from theabove-mentioned extended ducts.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 19, there is provided a front naturalventilation unit 102 which is disposed in the instrument panel 46 beforethe passenger compartment to take in the outside air and blow off theoutside air into the passenger compartment 2.

The front natural ventilation unit 102 comprises bifurcated andsymmetrical ducts 103, 103 which are coupled to the above-mentionedopening portions 44 a, 44 a illustrated in FIG. 18. Each side duct 103Aconstituting one of the ducts 103, 103 is provided with a side ventblowoff port 104 which is located at a side end of the instrument panel46. Each center duct 103B constituting the other of the ducts 103, 103is provided with a center vent blowoff port 105 which is located at thecenter of the instrument panel 46. These blowoff ports 104,104, 105, 105are formed on an outer surface of the instrument panel 46.

Namely, as illustrated by an arrow in FIG. 18, the outside air is tookin from the opening portion 98 a of the front cowl panel 98, the cowlclosed cross section 99, and the opening portion 44 a of the cowl upperpanel 44 into the pair of ducts for the natural ventilation, and theoutside air is blown off into the passenger compartment 2 via the sidevent blowoff ports 104, 104 and the center vent blowoff ports 105, 105.

There is provided an air conditioning control portion 106, as shown inFIG. 19, at the console 19 below the center vent blowoff portions 105,105, which is located at one position and functions as control means forcooperatively controlling the rear air conditioning unit 12 and thefront natural ventilation unit 10. The air conditioning control portion106 includes plural switches, CPU and so on which are not illustratedherein for convenience.

An alternative structure of the front natural ventilation unit 102 shownin FIG. 20 may be used instead of the one shown in FIG. 19. The frontnatural ventilation unit 102 shown in FIG. 20 are additionally providedwith a pair of tunnel ducts 103C, 103C bifurcated from the center ducts103B, 103B which are disposed in the closed cross sections 17A, 17Abetween the tunnel portion 16 and the upper tunnel member 17.

The tunnel duct 103C is located outside the duct 86 which is disposedsimilarly in the closed cross section 17A, and includes a blowoff port107 to blow off the outside air toward the thigh portion of thepassenger and a blowoff port 108 to blow off the one toward the footportion of the passenger which are took into the tunnel duct 103C fromthe front natural ventilation unit 102, thereby improving a comfortableventilation for the passenger by utilizing the outside air of thevehicle.

Herein, preferably, the blowoff ports 107, 108 may be coupled to thetunnel duct 103C via the console 19 and the upper tunnel member 17, andthe tunnel duct 103C may terminate at downstream of the blowoff port107. Further, the above-mentioned air conditioning control portion 106may be disposed, as illustrated in FIG. 21, at the center portion of theconsole 19 or the instrument panel 46 above the center vent blowoff port105.

As described above, there is provided the air conditioner for thevehicle comprising the passenger compartment 2 of the vehicle, the rearbulkhead 9 separating the rear portion of the passenger compartment 2,the rear cowl portion 10 disposed above the rear bulkhead 9, and therear air conditioning unit 12 disposed behind the rear bulkhead 9, therear air conditioning unit 12 taking in the inside-and-outside air forair conditioning via the rear cowl portion 10 and blowing off theconditioned air into the passenger compartment 2 of the vehicle.

According to the above-mentioned structure, since a layout of an airconditioning unit disposed at the front side of the vehicle is omitted,the vehicle engine 5 as a heavy article can be located at the centerside of the vehicle and the yaw inertia moment of the vehicle can bereduced, thereby improving the maneuverability and stability of thevehicle and the dynamic performance of the vehicle. Namely,compatibleness of the center layout of the engine 5 and a layout of therear air conditioning unit 12 can be provided.

Further, since the rear air conditioning unit 12 takes in theinside-and-outside air for air conditioning via the rear cowl portion 10and blows off the conditioned air into the passenger compartment 2 ofthe vehicle, the compatibleness of the layout of the rear airconditioning unit 12 and the induction of the inside-and-outside air canbe provided.

Further, the engine room 1 in which the engine 5 of the vehicle isdisposed is formed before the passenger compartment 2 of the vehicle.Accordingly, a compact vehicle with a front engine can be provided.

Further, the upper part of the passenger compartment 2 is covered by theroof 4 capable of opening. Accordingly, a simple structure of the airconditioner for a so-called open car can be provided.

Additionally, there are provided the inside-and-outside air inductionport 62 formed on the upper side of the rear cowl portion 10 and theaero-board 64 attached near the inside-and-outside air induction port62, wherein the aero-board 64 is attached so as to change its positionand the positional change of the aero-board 64 provides the inductionswitching of the inside-and-outside air for air conditioning.Accordingly, a proper switching between the inside-air induction and theoutside-air induction can be attained by changing the position of theaero-board 64.

Further, there is provided the outside-air induction passage 73 whichleads to the rear cowl portion 10 and opens to the outside of thevehicle through the vehicle outside wall (see the rear fender panel 7).Accordingly, the induction of the outside air through the vehicleoutside wall (see the rear fender panel 7) can be ensured.

Further, there is provided the blowoff port 79 (for example, the blowoffport for blowing off the conditioned air to the neck portion of thepassenger sitting on the seat 22) for blowing off the conditioned airfrom the rear air conditioning unit 12, which is formed on the side ofthe rear bulkhead 9 which is located toward the inside of the passengercompartment 2 of the vehicle. Accordingly, the distance between the rearair conditioning unit 12 and the blowoff port 79 can be made short,thereby reducing a passage length between them.

Additionally, the seat 22 of the vehicle is disposed before and close tothe rear bulkhead 9 in the passenger compartment 2 of the vehicle, andthe seat has the blowoff ports 82, 82A, 82B formed thereon for blowingoff the conditioned air from the rear air conditioning unit 12.Accordingly, comfortable air conditioning can be attained by theconditioned air from the blowoff ports 82, 82A, 82B formed on the seat22.

Further, the above-mentioned blowoff ports 82, 82A are located so as toblow off the conditioned air toward the back portion of the passengersitting on the seat 22. Accordingly, since the proper control of airconditioning at the back portion of the passenger is provided,comfortable air conditioning can be attained.

Also, the blowoff ports 82, 82B on the seat are located so as to blowoff the conditioned air toward the lumbar portion of the passengersitting on the seat 22. Accordingly, since the proper control of airconditioning at the lumber portion of the passenger is provided,comfortable air conditioning can be attained.

Further, there is provided the tunnel portion 16 extending forward ofthe vehicle from the lower portion of the rear bulkhead 9, and thetunnel portion 16 has the blowoff port 87 formed thereon for blowing offthe conditioned air from the rear air conditioning unit 12 toward thethigh portion of the passenger. Accordingly, since the proper control ofair conditioning at the thigh portion of the passenger is provided withutilizing the tunnel portion 16, comfortable air conditioning can beattained.

Further, there is provided the tunnel portion 16 extending forward ofthe vehicle from the lower portion of the rear bulkhead 9, and thetunnel portion 16 has the blowoff port 88 formed thereon for blowing offthe conditioned air from the rear air conditioning unit 12 toward thefoot portion of the passenger. Accordingly, since the proper control ofair conditioning at the foot portion of the passenger is provided withutilizing the tunnel portion 16, comfortable air conditioning can beattained.

Additionally, there is provided the upper tunnel member 17 above thetunnel portion 16 which forms the passage having the closed crosssection 17A with the tunnel portion 16, and the air conditioning duct 86for the conditioned air from the rear air conditioning unit 12 is formedin the closed cross section 17A. Accordingly, the air conditioning duct86 can be provided properly by utilizing the closed cross section 17Abetween the tunnel portion 16 and the upper tunnel member 17 formed toincrease rigidity of the vehicle floor and the vehicle body.

Also, the rear air conditioning unit 12 takes in at least the inside airof the passenger compartment 2, conditions the took-in air, and blowsoff the conditioned air into the passenger compartment 2, and there isfurther provided the front natural ventilation unit 102 which isdisposed before the passenger compartment 2, takes in the outside air ofthe vehicle, and blows off the took-in air into the passengercompartment 2. Accordingly, the rear air conditioning and the naturalventilation can made compatible. Also, since the front naturalventilation unit 102 is provided before the passenger compartment 2, themove-back layout of the engine 5 and the function of air conditioningcan be made compatible.

Namely, the front natural ventilation unit 102, unlike a normal frontair conditioning unit, does not need any evaporator, heater core, funsor the like, and just has a structure to take in the outside air andblow off it. Accordingly, the move-back layout of the engine 5 and thefunction of the natural ventilation can be made compatible.

Further, there is provided air conditioning control means (see the airconditioning control portion 106) for cooperatively controlling the rearair conditioning unit 12 and the front natural ventilation unit 102.Accordingly, since the rear air conditioning unit 12 and the frontnatural ventilation unit 102 are controlled cooperatively by the airconditioning control means (see the air conditioning control portion106), utility of controlling can be improved without controlling themseparately.

Also, there is provided the tunnel portion 16 extending forward of thevehicle from the lower portion of the rear bulkhead 9, and the tunnelportion 16 has the blowoff ports 107, 108 formed thereon for blowing offthe outside air of the vehicle from the front natural ventilation unit102. Accordingly, the comfortable feeling by the outside air during thevehicle running can be provided to the passenger by utilizing the tunnelportion 16. Especially, the ventilation by this outside air (naturalwind) can be enhanced for the passenger in the open car.

Further, the rear air conditioning unit 12 is disposed between the rearbulkhead 9 and the trunk room 13 which is disposed behind the rearbulkhead 9, and there is further provided the trunk-room cooling-airpassage (see the duct 92) for taking in the cooling air from the rearair conditioning unit 12 and providing the cooling air into the trunkroom 13 to cool the inside of the trunk room 13. Accordingly, since therear air conditioning unit 12 is disposed between the rear bulkhead 9and the trunk room 13 behind the rear bulkhead 9 and the trunk room 13is cooled by the cooling air from the rear air conditioning unit 12,forming the trunk room 13 and providing the rear air conditioning unit12 can be made compatible, and also the trunk room 13 can be cooled bythe rear air conditioning unit 12 of the air conditioner for thevehicle, without providing any additional cooling devices for the trunkroom 13.

Further, the trunk room 13 is divided into plural load compartments 13A,13B, and the cooling air is introduced into at least one of the loadcompartments 13 a, 13B to constitute it as the cooler box 91.Accordingly, the cooler box 91 can be cooled certainly and efficiently.

Also, there is provided the suspension damper 93 for suspending the rearwheel 48 of the vehicle close to the trunk room 13, and the suspensiondamper 93 is cooled by the cooling air from the rear air conditioningunit 12. Accordingly, since the cooling air of the rear air conditioningunit 12 cools the suspension damper 93, durability of the suspensiondamper 96 can be prevented from deteriorating and the function of thedamper 93 can be also prevented from changing due to the heat.Particularly, heat deterioration of oil, packing, and rubbers in thedamper 93 can be preferably prevented.

Additionally, there is provided the damper cooling-air passage (see theduct 96) for taking in the cooling air from the rear air conditioningunit 12 and providing the cooling air to the suspension damper 93.Accordingly, the damper can be cooled more certainly by the cooling airfrom the damper cooling-air passage (see the duct 96).

Further, there is provided the suspension damper 93 for suspending therear wheel 48 of the vehicle behind the rear air conditioning unit 12,and the suspension damper 93 is cooled via the damper cooling-airpassage (see the duct 96) which is formed for taking in the cooling airfrom the rear air conditioning unit 12 and providing the cooling air tothe suspension damper 93. Accordingly, since the cooling air from therear air conditioning unit 12 is led to the suspension damper 93 via thedamper cooling-air passage (see the duct 96) and cools the damper 93(particularly, oil, packing, and rubber in the damper 93), durability ofthe suspension damper 93 can be prevented from deteriorating and thefunction of the damper 93 can be also prevented from changing due to theheat.

With regard to the correspondence in structure between the presentinvention and the above-mentioned embodiment, the air conditioning unitof the invention corresponds to the rear air conditioning unit 12 of theembodiment, the outside wall of the vehicle body of the inventioncorresponds to the rear fender 71 of the embodiment, the tunnel memberof the invention corresponds to the upper tunnel member 17 of theembodiment, the air conditioning control means of the inventioncorresponds to the air conditioning control portion 106 of theembodiment, the trunk room cooling-air passage of the inventioncorresponds to the duct 92 of the embodiment, and the damper cooling-airpassage of the invention corresponds to the duct 96 of the embodiment,respectively.

However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment. Any othermodifications may be applied within the scope of a sprit of the presentinvention.

1. An air conditioner for a vehicle comprising: a passenger compartmentof the vehicle; a rear bulkhead separating a rear portion of saidpassenger compartment; a rear cowl portion disposed above said rearbulkhead; and a rear air conditioning unit disposed behind said rearbulkhead, the rear air conditioning unit taking in inside-and-outsideair for air conditioning via said rear cowl portion and blowing offconditioned air into said passenger compartment of the vehicle.
 2. Theair conditioner for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein an engine room inwhich an engine of the vehicle is disposed is formed before saidpassenger compartment of the vehicle.
 3. The air conditioner for avehicle of claim 1, wherein an upper part of said passenger compartmentis covered by a roof capable of opening.
 4. The air conditioner for avehicle of claim 3, further comprising an inside-and-outside airinduction port formed on an upper side of said rear cowl portion and anaero-board attached near said inside-and-outside air induction port,wherein said aero-board is attached so as to change its position and apositional change of said aero-board provides an induction switching ofsaid inside-and-outside air for air conditioning.
 5. The air conditionerfor a vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an outside-air inductionpassage which leads to said rear cowl portion and opens to an outside ofthe vehicle through a vehicle outside wall.
 6. The air conditioner for avehicle of claim 1, further comprising a blowoff port for blowing offthe conditioned air from said rear air conditioning unit, which isformed on a side of said rear bulkhead which is located toward an insideof said passenger compartment of the vehicle.
 7. The air conditioner fora vehicle of claim 1, wherein a seat of the vehicle is disposed beforeand close to said rear bulkhead in the passenger compartment of thevehicle, and the seat has a blowoff port formed thereon for blowing offthe conditioned air from said rear air conditioning unit.
 8. The airconditioner for a vehicle of claim 7, wherein said blowoff port on theseat is located so as to blow off the conditioned air toward a backportion of a passenger sitting on the seat.
 9. The air conditioner for avehicle of claim 7, wherein said blowoff port on the seat is located soas to blow off the conditioned air toward a lumbar portion of apassenger sitting on the seat.
 10. The air conditioner for a vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein there is provided a tunnel portion extending forward ofthe vehicle from a lower portion of said rear bulkhead, and said tunnelportion has a blowoff port formed thereon for blowing off theconditioned air from said rear air conditioning unit toward a thighportion of a passenger.
 11. The air conditioner for a vehicle of claim1, wherein there is provided a tunnel portion extending forward of thevehicle from a lower portion of said rear bulkhead, and said tunnelportion has a blowoff port formed thereon for blowing off theconditioned air from said rear air conditioning unit toward a footportion of a passenger.
 12. The air conditioner for a vehicle of claim10, wherein there is provided a tunnel member above said tunnel portionwhich forms a passage having a closed cross section with the tunnelportion, and an air conditioning duct for the conditioned air from saidrear air conditioning unit is formed in said passage having the closedcross section.
 13. The air conditioner for a vehicle of claim 1, whereinsaid rear air conditioning unit takes in at least inside air of thepassenger compartment, conditions the took-in air, and blows off theconditioned air into the passenger compartment, and there is furtherprovided a front natural ventilation unit which is disposed before thepassenger compartment, takes in outside air of the vehicle, and blowsoff the took-in air into the passenger compartment.
 14. The airconditioner for a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising airconditioning control means for cooperatively controlling said rear airconditioning unit and said front natural ventilation unit.
 15. The airconditioner for a vehicle of claim 13, wherein there is provided atunnel portion extending forward of the vehicle from a lower portion ofsaid rear bulkhead, and said tunnel portion has a blowoff port formedthereon for blowing off the outside air of the vehicle from said frontnatural ventilation unit.
 16. The air conditioner for a vehicle of claim1, wherein said rear air conditioning unit is disposed between said rearbulkhead and a trunk room which is disposed behind the rear bulkhead,and there is further provided a trunk-room cooling-air passage fortaking in cooling air from the rear air conditioning unit and providingthe cooling air into said trunk room to cool an inside of the trunkroom.
 17. The air conditioner for a vehicle of claim 16, wherein saidtrunk room is divided into plural load compartments, and said coolingair is introduced into at least one of the load compartments toconstitute it as a cooler box.
 18. The air conditioner for a vehicle ofclaim 16, wherein there is provided a suspension damper for suspending arear wheel of the vehicle close to said trunk room, and the suspensiondamper is cooled by said cooling air from the rear air conditioningunit.
 19. The air conditioner for a vehicle of claim 18, wherein thereis further provided a damper cooling-air passage for taking in saidcooling air from the rear air conditioning unit and providing thecooling air to said suspension damper.
 20. The air conditioner for avehicle of claim 1, wherein there is provided a suspension damper forsuspending a rear wheel of the vehicle behind said rear air conditioningunit, and the suspension damper is cooled via a damper cooling-airpassage which is formed for taking in a cooling air from said rear airconditioning unit and providing the cooling air to the suspensiondamper.